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Middle East and North Africa

Pakistan urges UN to clamp down on weapon shipments to Syria

UN representative says: "Syria is ablaze with conflict, blood is being spilt. We can't end this war with weapons"

Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS

Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS

ISLAMABAD, July 24. /ITAR-TASS/. Masood Khan, current Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, called for cessation of weapon shipments to war-torn Syria. "Syria is ablaze with conflict, blood is being spilt. We can't end this war with weapons," the diplomat said during a session of the UN Security Council. He added that the "UN Security Council and the world community have to take measures to prevent both sides of the Syrian conflict from receiving arms. We need to force the Syrian government and armed opposition to sit down for peace talks in Geneva. Only this can help resolve the conflict and unite warring sides."

The Pakistani diplomat also warned that as soon the situation regarding the Syrian peace conferenc is cleared up, opposing sides will try to change the balance of power by force prior to entering negotiations. Khan explained that "This tactic would be misguided. This war has no winners: Syrians are killing Syrians".

He called the attention of the Security Council to the need to facilitate Syrian peace talks in Geneva: "All counries which have political weight and influence in the Middle East should participate in the conference in order to find an effective way to end the Syrian conflict."

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